George Overhill

Sun 18 December 2022 19:43, UK

West Ham captain Declan Rice claims World Cup-winning Lionel Messi will never be emulated after Argentina beat France in Qatar.

In a dramatic game which saw a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick twice draw his side level, Messi’s men eventually triumphed on penalties in a game where he also scored twice on Sunday (18 December).

Rice joined the chorus of voices eulogising the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s career achievements, making an unequivocal claim for the future.

Posting on his personal Twitter account after the game the Irons skipper said: “We will never see a player like Messi ever again.”

Star power

It’s hard to argue that ultimately Messi has been the best player of his generation, despite being pushed pretty hard by Cristiano Ronaldo over the years, and the Hammers star seems to clearly stand on one side of that argument.

There is no guarantee that we don’t see somebody surpass his achievements though, and on a night where 23-year-old Mbappe’s hat-trick saw him come out on top for the Golden Boot, there’s an argument to suggest we already have.

Debates about playing in Ligue 1 compared to La Liga will undoubtedly be thrown up by many, but despite defeat on Sunday Mbappe is already a World Cup winner and is ahead of the illustrious Argentine in terms of goals and assists for both club and country at the same age.

The best ever argument is entirely subjective so there will never be a consensus, but before Messi there would have been plenty of people who felt he was impossible as well.

Most players, Rice included, would be happy with just a fraction of the trophies that either Messi or Mbappe have both racked up, and unfortunately for West Ham supporters it still appears to be pushing the captain towards the exit.

That may prove to be the case in the summer, but with the World Cup know wrapped up there is a crucial second half of the season for him to drive his side through first before those questions come close to being answered.